


I'll Be Watching You

by Midnight_Candle



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-25
Updated: 2018-07-02
Packaged: 2019-05-28 12:50:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15049433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Midnight_Candle/pseuds/Midnight_Candle
Summary: A vastly different universe in which Allura acts on what her heart was saying: We can't just leave him. Like any "Butterfly Effect" story would tell you, this single action causes a greater reaction and changes the paths of Team Voltron from this point on.





	1. Every breath you take

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Everyone still clinging onto this ship out of spite or pure love](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Everyone+still+clinging+onto+this+ship+out+of+spite+or+pure+love).



> Created for Lotura Week and developed into a personal Hell, this is also dubbed the "Captive AU".  
> I would also like to mention that the song "Every Breath You Take" which gave me muse for all these chapters was sung by Chase Holfelder.  
> Dear god do NOT play the origonal in your head when reading this please. The mood's all wrong.

_"We must try!"_

_"Pidge is right. If we stay here much longer, Voltron is done for!"_

_"But we can't just leave him!"_ Allura watched as the ship before them shook, the damage was devastating and it would only get worse! If they left he would die out here!

 

 _"Allura, we gotta go now!"_  Lance's voice hardly reached her over the intercom. This... she had done this... Her hands shook on the controls, a pang in her heart as she moved from her seat. 

 

 _"Lotor's made his choice. Lets get out of here - Allura!"_ The mouth of the blue lion opened, commands to return to Voltron following Keith's voice. The jet pack pushed her forward towards the ship. 

" _Voltron needs to leave the quintessence field! Get out!"_ The Altean woman flinched as a staccato echoed around her, pressure jumping around the electricity from the overloaded ships, and the pure quintessence jumping around them. She could feel the pulse of energy behind her as Voltron refused to leave.  _“You must go now!”_

The hesitation was painful, but she didn’t dare look back, focusing on the fallen ship before her. 

_“.... Come back quickly, Allura.”_

 

She would come back. The waves were chaotic, lashing out into the void. Allura grappled onto the Sincline, peering inside and seeing the pilot still unconscious. There was blood in his hair, running down his face. The blast to the Sincline must have thrown him into the control panel... 

 

She was amazed the latch hissed and opened to her command, quick to crawl inside and try and place the helmet over Lotors head, brushing as much of his hair back as she could to see if there was more damage she should be cautious about. The bleeding gash across his face seemed to be clotting a bit for now, she couldn’t do much to stop that now.

 

“ _I’m here, I’m right here.... come on, show me you’re okay...._ ” She leaned in close, watching desperately until the visor fogged up. He was breathing! “...  _Hello again_...”

 

Hands grabbed the controls, the woman jumping as a jolt shocked her off. The power was low; her own plan had backfired, but she had to try...! If she could concentrate, direct the remaining quintessence in the ship-!

 

The groan in the joints, the shaking of the ship- but it was movement! Just... Just a little more....!  She pushed power into the thrusters, wincing at the stutter and falling out of her seat as it launched forward. She struggled to find her footing, pulling herself up and bracing against the movement. The vast white space disappeared in a blink, spitting them out before the castle and Voltron.

 

“Don’t shoot!”

 

_“Allura?!”_

 

“Yes. The ship is hardly functional, and Lotor is unconscious. Don’t come too close - it’s still sparking off... but I need to board Voltron-“

 

_“Allura -“_

 

“Please, we need to try and save him-“

 

“ _We have bigger problems than Lotor_.” She frowned at the urgency in Corans voice, noticing the bright streaks of light  around them. _“... The field... the tears are going to destroy everything unless we find a way to close them in fifteen doboshes. The only solution we have is the teleduv.”_

 

“.... You... You can’t be serious.” The last remains of Altea...

 

“ _If I had another answer Princess..._ ”  

 

The Castle Of Lions, gone.... “... There may be another way. Get me out of this.”

 

Voltron separated, Lance helping move the blue lion closer to the mimic so Allura could pull Lotor across the space into her seat. Upon docking the Castle of Lions she watched as Krolia hurried a sleep pod to the hangars, thankful the press for time didn’t leave room for anyone to question her decision to bring Lotor back. Everyone was loading their lions just in case... and she didn’t blame them. The castle would be gone soon if her plan failed... running past her room she paused, knowing only a few things she needed to grab. Upon snatching up the picture of her parents, the mice hurried up her arm and held fast to the armor at her shoulders. 

 

She avoided the pointed stares as the blue lion was loaded. All things considered, the pod didn’t take up much room... With what little energy she had left, she tried placing it and moving Lotor inside, grunting at the feat until she noticed some of the weight lifting. Almost afraid he had woken eyes darted up to see Coran grabbing Lotors legs.

 

“... We don’t need to talk about why right now. Just hold him steady.” Allura flashed her smile of appreciation before finally setting Lotor down and closing the Cryo-Replenisher.

 

“Everyone is ready?”

 

“All the other Paladins have left the castle. The teleduv will go off in eight doboshes; with Pidges calculations and my maneuvers, I can wait a bit more.” He confirmed, letting out a deep sigh. “.... I hope you’re right, Princess.”

 

Blue eyes glanced out of her lion as Coran hoped out. It wasn’t much - the hangar was nearly empty with Corans escape ship left, and it would be the last thing she saw of her home if she was wrong. 

 

Glancing at the pod near the back, she moved the controls forward. It wasn’t a terrible plan. Lotors ship caused this problem by jumping through the rift - the technology of a teleduv. If she pushed the suit between two of the expanding tears where it would be fed overloading power with its current shape and Corans instructions on tampering with its settings it should explode with enough power to close the rifts.

 

She just needed it to work!

 

* * *

 

They had landed. It had seemed like deca-phoebes since they could all take a breath. Many still seemed to be processing. For now, that was probably for the best. She had a lot to process herself.

 

Her head couldn’t handle all of this. Shiro had been dead... They had all day in the Black Lion for leadership and had never guessed even for a moment. Out there were more Alteans.... She had almost lost her home -  _her family_  - and she had just saved the man responsible for it all. There was only a rest in her heart knowing she had saved Shiro - saved them  _all_  - for now.... and that too was thanks to  _him_.

 

Eyes looked up; Allura had found herself sitting in the Infirmary, staring at the only pod in use. How much time did she have until the Paladins wanted answers, wanted an excuse as to why she had brought him here? How long did she have until Romelle or Krolia demanded to take matters into their own hands? 

 

She stood shakily, standing before the glass and looking over the face of the man she had once trusted. The wound that had bloodied his face earlier was now nearly healed, but it would scar over still. 

 

Alluras hand pressed gently against the glass, frowning as she caught her reflection. ".... Why did I go back for you?

 

"Why did I risk my life going after you?" The hand against the glass curled, eyebrows furrowing as the Princess stared past her reflection to the man inside the pod.  "After everything you've done to us - after everything you said to me!" The fist pounded, smacking against the glass in frustration. "What could I possibly gain saving you, when you weren't willing to save anyone else but yourself?!"

 

Both hands slammed against the pod, an echo of frustration bubbling in the back of the Altean's throat.  _"How is my team going to trust me after this?!"_

"Allura." Hands snapped away from the pod, wiping under her eyes to hide the fact she had been tearing up. Glancing over her shoulder, she stared in disbelief as the other Paladins shuffled awkwardly. Lance seemed to be keeping his eyes pinned to the pod, but the rest... Keith even almost looked sympathetic. "We need to talk about this... as a  _team_."

 

It was clear they weren't happy about having brought Lotor onto the ship, she supposed she really couldn't blame them. Glancing at the pod, she wasn't so sure she was happy either. Nodding, Allura moved towards them. "... I will not leave this room unless someone stand guard."

 

"Krolia-"

 

"No." She shook her head, cutting Keith off. "You misunderstand. I will not be leaving this room. Not until I am sure I can trust everyone on board to not make any action that hasn't been agreed on."

 

It created a wave of unsettled Paladins, a small grimace shared between Hunk and Pidge. Keith however, much to her own surprise, didn't flinch. "Fine. We'll  talk in here."

 

She stared over him. It was as if the moment he had returned, somehow Keith had become the leader of Voltron without a single word about it. She was almost impressed. "I have my reasons."

 

"Maybe. You didn't seem so sure about that a moment ago though. What are we supposed to do with him now?" Allura seemed to shuffle, hand hovering near her bayard. So they really had been there for some time then she supposed.

 

"Allura, we don't know what's going to happen if we wake him up." Lance stood beside him, eyes still very clearly pinned to where Lotor slept. "You said yourself that the quintessence was getting to him. Zarkon went full on evil - it's not like he's going to be all better just because he's taking a nap."

 

"I will figure out how to help him." She stood her ground.

 

"And in the meantime  _what_ Allura? He stays in this pod? What if he wakes up himself? What if he gets out? How long would it take for us to notice? We can't keep an eye on him and an eye out for Sendak and the other branches of the Galra Empire. Lotor knows too much, he could take a lion - he could take the entire castle!"

 

".... Do you really have so little faith in all of us that we would allow-"

 

" _What are we going to do about him Allura?!"_ Blue eyes stared. This felt familiar, except it had been Shiro trying to convince her to trust Lotor, not Keith trying to condemn him. 

 

"I will take full responsibility for Lotor. The Sincline was finished because of me. The fabric of the quintessence field was torn because I gave his ship the ability to move through it. If Lotor leaves the Infirmary,  _I_ will make sure he goes no further. I will end him if he becomes a threat - but you  _must_ allow me to try and save him."

 

".... We're a team Allura. We're here to help." Hunk seemed to have the most sympathy. She supposed maybe he would be her best ally in this after all - he had started studying the Galra culture as well, and she recalled he had been at Lotor's defense upon arrival. When Romelle had first spoken out, wasn't the first reaction to imprison him, not kill him? Wasn't it good they were still able to do that?

 

"- but we can't allow the risk." Eyes darted to Keith once more, and the Princess took a deep breath to steady herself.

 

"If we kill Lotor, what part of the Galra Empire that remains loyal to him will turn on us. It is already torn itself into three parts - if we give up what little we have on our side we are no better than where we started this war. Planets we saved will be targeted first, and we can't protect them all at once. We still need Lotor, and I know how to make sure we can keep the Galra Empire under him on  _our_ side."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All three prompts snuck into today: Meeting and Parting, Soul Mate, and Compromise. Or at least, that was the intent I think. It's a bit more subtle than that.


	2. Every move you make

_"Are we sure this is such a good idea?"_

_"It's Allura's idea."_

_"Okay, that doesn't make it 'good'."_

_"... We don't have a lot of options right now, Pidge."_ Keith...

She pretended she couldn't hear them. 

 

 _"Even if it does work, how do we know he'll work with us? The last I checked, that guy was ready to blow up every Galra ship - his own or not."_ Lance...

_"You're free to talk her out of it if you can."_

"Excuse me." That was enough. If she kept listening in, she would start to question her own plan. The other Paladin's seemed to stiffen as she entered the room. "I thought we came to an agreement."

 

"We came to a  _compromise_ _._ " His bark was as sharp as his bite as of late; Keith didn't seem to like much that Shiro was still resting up more often than not - putting himself back into the leadership position under the amount of stress wasn't the most ideal for anyone... Being short with everyone around him though wasn't excusable. 

 

"Yes. We still all  _agreed_."

 

"I say it's stupid and dangerous." The red paladin stepped up, arms crossed. "Allura, if you think you can fix him, that would be one thing. But this can go  _so very very bad_! Lotor doesn't seem like the kind of guy to just 'go along with a plan' the moment he wakes up. If he says  _anything_  to  _anyone_ , then they'll be firing more lasers at us than we've ever seen before!"

 

Her hand balled into a fist at her side. "Aiming at us puts them in the dangerous condition of shooting their own ships. We have the advantage. I'll be with Lotor - he wont say anything."

 

"You can't possibly  _know_  th-"

 

"I don't think any of you are even trying to understand!" Eyes darted, daring any of them to speak up. "Do not make this harder than it needs to be. One way or another, I'm doing this. The worst thing that could possibly happen is this third of the Galra become our enemies - which is exactly what would have happened if they found out we were holding Lotor hostage, or killed him. This is the only scenario where we have a chance to still spread peace and keep our allies here. Is there anything else more you wish to say to me?"

 

Silence.

 

"Good. ... Do not let Romelle off this ship."

*** * ***

 

The Royal Warship, surrounded by it's fleet, clearly hadn't been expecting their Emperor and Voltron to be returning any time soon. She was wondering what it was exactly Lotor had told his followers when he had joined them on the Castle of Lions - they clearly hadn't thought he would be returning to blow them up.

 

What had his plans been past being able to operate Sincline?

 

She tried not to look too distracted in these worrisome thoughts as she pushed the Sleep Pod through the halls, two sentries before her and guards behind her. They were leading through the ship so no one else would see their injuries Emperor - the two Galra with her easily believing he had been hurt in battle. 

 

He always fought alongside his battalion after all. Like a good leader, he didn't hide away; he was tactful, calculating, and strong enough to stand by his peoples side - how could all of that really just be a mask to hide himself behind?

 

"Most of the druids went with Haggar when she fled the Empire." One of the soldiers behind her spoke up, clearing her throat. "There were some of course who ... did learn a few things. Some do try, but fail a lot of the training - most of the time working with such forces like raw quintessence would kill someone unprepared." Allura couldn't help but frown, the doubt her fellow Paladins had returning to her mind.  "Emperor Lotor wouldn't be so foolish to have someone useless on the ship though."

 

Maybe they would be of some use after all... at the very least, they would have access to something that could contain the tainted quintessence poisoning their emperor. 

 

She didn't have much to say to the escort, eyes watching and counting the patterns of lights that danced across the sleep pod. The purple in the ship seemed near overwhelming; all the dark shadows made in the tight hallways, the vibrant violet light lighting a small pathway along the walls. It was difficult to keep her expression plain here. On the castle, surrounded by the white and blue and the calming colors of home she knew she was doing what was right for everyone. Here... Here with the darkness pouring from every color she could feel that she was lying. Fear was starting to ebb inside her heartbeat, and Allura was staring at the pod with fear and regret. 

 

What if this went horribly wrong?

 

"We're here. Please wait just a moment, Princess Allura."

 

*** * ***

 

Fingers ran through the sheen white hair, a smile on his face as he took a deep breath. Eyes slowly opened to stare at the wide blue looking down at him. There was something beautiful about the way her breath stuttered, something even  _cute_  in the way her nails dug into his shoulders. It probably wasn't the most comfortable position; but in their limited space it gave Allura all the control she needed to brace herself, and all the room he needed to keep her held close. 

 

It was a rather good balance really, he couldn't help but smirk when her body started shaking. Moving seemed to be getting harder for her; his hands moved to hold onto her hips, claws dragging against her sides and encouraging her to keep going. _To keep going until she possibly couldn't move anymore._

 

His eyes tightened shut, a tight feeling making him jolt. He wasn't sure who really was in control at his point; he lost himself a little, hips moving faster until he heard a sound echo in his ear. At first he paid it little mind, getting lost in the warmth of the air and the bright white around them. Another tremble around him, and the gasp had become a whine - a whimper, cry. Lotors eyes snapped open as he realized these weren't right - they weren't to be unexpected but something was terribly  _wrong._  

 

This wasn't in the quintessence field. He wasn't fully sure where they were - but it wasn't where they were supposed to be. The vast darkness of space was the only thing around them. 

 

 _"Pl....please..."_ Confused, he turned back to Allura, finding his hands also weren't where they were supposed to be. The gentle feeling of soft skin below his palm, the damp feeling of his fingertips... He stared in disbelief as his grip tightened around her neck, drawing more blood as claws marred below her hairline. The collar of her uniform was tainted, stained red like the metal floor below her. " _let go...."_

 

Let go? Lotor couldn't help but smirk. "And where do you think you would go, even if I did?"

 

_....  What? No, let her go._

"Did you really think I'd let you leave?" 

 

_Let her go!_

_"You used me."_

No....

 

_"You lied to me..."_

There was a moment he could feel himself tighten his grip once more, could hear himself  _laugh_   _in her face_  - but she was gone when he opened his eyes again. Back in his seat, hands now tight on only the controls of Sincline. Back inside the vast white of the quintessence field - facing him was Zarkon's Central Command Ship, the feed letting him hear the laughter of his father as the beacon trapped him from moving. No - no that wasn't  _possible_ , Zarkon was  _dead_!

 

" _You're just as bad as Zarkon!"_

_**No!** _

__

Zarkon was a violent and heartless murderer; he cared nothing for those under him and believed nobody was above him! Zarkon was a destroyer of worlds, and he would be the end of everything in this galaxy and the next! How could she even think that of him?! 

 

He pushed the Sincline forward, gritting his teeth. " ** _I'm getting rid of you once and for all!"_**

****

The Sincline drew it's blades, nothing but rage echoing through his veins; the Command Ship was going to end  _here_ , if it's the last thing he ever did it would put an end to whoever decided to  _dare_  try and follow him here. Zarkon? The witch?! No, he was done with the Galra - and every single one of them on that ship was going to be stopped from further torture here and now!

 

 _"This is the end! Victory or death!"_ No more Galra, no more Zarkon, no more of all this wasted energy of war and the wasted lives of those taken for no other reason than amusement! 

****

_STOP._

Voltron. No - where was Central Command?! 

 

Everything moved without him, the blade piercing the heart of Voltron, the explosion of quintessence around them - his eyes shut tightly as the bright glow felt like it would literally blind him. 

 

 Then there was... nothing...

 

Eyes slowly opened to find himself alone. He could look down and see his hands, but... nothing else held any light. A never ending abyss of blackness, not even stars in the far distance.

 

".... So... then it was death." He frowned, making an attempt to move. There was a static in the back of his mind, a low hum that held no clarity, and even less importance. He wasn't really sure if he was even moving, let alone if he was going anywhere. This... couldn't really be all there was, right? 

 

" _... I'm so sorry..."_

Allura? Lotor turned to find radiance behind him. In a world of darkness like this, she was nothing less than a sun herself. ".... What are you doing here, Allura?"

 

_"I'm so very sorry... I couldn't just leave you there..."_

 

He tensed, eyes narrowed. Leave him there? 

 

_"I should have noticed sooner..."_

He had shifted, teeth bared and hand readying for his sword. His vision was starting to blue, the darkness around them starting to gather closer to him. 

 

"You... You wretched little  _lair_  -" The little bit of light he had been able to see by - the light that let him see itself... somewhere he noticed it was fading. The dark creatures swirled, circling and clinging onto him as he took hurried steps closer to the Altean woman. "You didn't even  _listen to me_! You aren't even  _looking at me_! Everything we said, everything I told you about -  _you betrayed me!_ "

 

The blade was coated in blackness, no light bounced off it as it pierced through the light surrounding his poor  _stupid_  Allura. He could feel the weight of the shadows as they wrapped around his face like a mask. Soon he wouldn't see much at all, but by then he would finish her, punish her for everything she had done to him!  _Killed him_ , betrayed him, abandoned him to die! Who was she to look down on  _him_?!

 

Lotor launched to her, ready to pierce her heart just as she claimed he already had. She could join him in the pit of death if she felt so terrible for her incompetence! 

 

Her hands found the side of his face, cradling him close; he froze. Poised and ready to attack, hardly a hair's length from shoving his blade through her chest. Her eyes opened to look up at him, watery and desperate. Thumbs brushed under his eyes, tracing where the marks of the chosen had appeared what seemed like a lifetime ago.

 

" _...I'm sorry for doing this to you."_

".... Are you real, Allura?"

 

***** *** ***

 

Eyes opened wide and Allura jumped back, almost knocking into the former Druid behind her. It was a reflex to reach out for the vile, securing the top with an extra fidget and staring back towards the shaking figure before them. 

 

He seemed to have trouble catching his breath, eyes darting frantically around the dark room. His eyes locked onto her and for a moment Allura feared she would need to do good on her promise to Keith.Then he seemed to let out a sigh of relief and flatten, body relaxing almost instantly as eyes closed. 

 

 

"...I'm sorry for doing this to you." Her hand moved to cup his cheek, starting to fear he wouldn't pull through. She looked to the vial beside her and frowned. There couldn't possibly be more... She had drawn as much quintessence from the fallen Emperor as she possibly could without killing him - it couldn't have all been poisoned right?

_".... Are you real, Allura?"_ Large blue eyes opened, looking down into the dilated eyes of the Galra Emperor. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All three themes: Contrast, Fairy Tale, and Victory or Death were used to some form of context but feel free to leave your thoughts.


	3. Every bond you break

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Expectations and Leadership in this one.

“After all of that, your first thought was to return me to my empire?” Allura shifted at the uncanny smile Lotor flashed. “I must admit, I’m rather astonished at your sentiment towards me.”

“You know why I did it.” Allura stood firmly between Lotor and the door. While she had been impressed he gave no sign of any distress, she didn’t like being holed up on the opposite end of the ship from the other Paladins.

“... An interesting move on Voltrons part. It’s almost like a social prison. In front of the faces here I have to behave and smile. It doesn’t take long to get another ship, Allura. It may be nothing at all compared to my masterpiece - but the armada here will have to be enough for now.”

“Are you threatening me, Emperor Lotor?” 

“How very formal.” He leaned forward in the throne, elbows perched on his knees and hands folded before him in thought. “I wouldn’t dream of threatening you while your ship sits outside mine. Underestimating you - it’s not something I intend to do again. It does leave one to wonder though, what exactly you think it is saving you right now. Or am I more than a  _liar_  to you?”

She flinched at the tone, avoiding his gaze. “I want to hear what you have to say for yourself.”

“I can’t possibly imagine why.” He scoffed, moving to stand before finding himself back in the chair with a wince. “Is it your sign of mercy, hearing my last words before deciding just what to do with me?”

“I need to know what you were going to say before. I don’t care if it’s a lie, or if you manipulate your words however you please - I just need to hear it. Take this as your final chance to try and save yourself.” Her words held no kindness; bitter and cold, Alluras glare seemed to fade the smirk from the Emperors face.

“..... Not once have I ever lied to you, Allura.” The somber expression that befell him made her want to believe him.

“I have a proposal for you.” He did at least seem calm enough to hear her speak. “I want you to tell me everything. The Alteans, your plans for your Empire, what you think you’re going to do now... If you work with us, you may remain. Voltron will help you unite the empire and continue pursuing peace.”

His hands pressed against the arms of the throne, pushing himself forward as Lotor stepped towards her. “And the Alteans?”

“I need to know what you have done to judge that...”

“Remain a figurehead in the world I despise, promoting peace through the Voltron Coalition.” He scoffed, turning to look out the massive windows to the vast space around them. For a moment, Allura feared it would light with a laser, or explosives. “Lets day I rather like remaining alive and do this... what do the others think of this proposal?”

“You are my responsibility.” Allura enforced her words precisely. 

“So they don’t know?” His scoff turned to a chuckle of amusement, hands clasped behind his back as he turned to face her once more. ”I suppose for now you have all the cards, Allura. May I ask you exactly how your friends came across the colony?”

“... They were investigating quintessence. It was different than anything the Galra have been known to work with before-”

“Yes. Almost as if it were specifically traceable. One would almost say the signature was warped just passing though the quantum abyss. Could you imagine what developed having to move living creatures with such a natural affinity with quintessence such as Ateans? Did you even think of the preoccupations of such a deed as shipping them through could cause?” He paused. “... Because I didn’t. I didn’t ask myself what could possibly go wrong. The people I saved, the people I hid from the one place the Galra Empire would never look - and it still put them in jeopardy. They’re  _sick_ , Allura...”

“ _What_?” No, she didn’t buy that!

“Have you bothered to ask yourself why I would be killing  _Alteans_? It isn’t a means to rule - I already have such a high starting among the population... I can’t run it myself. In case you’ve forgotten I’ve been spending a lot of time with the enemies of Zarkon lately and that witch has been keeping an eye on me for some time. Going back and forth would catch attention. There are those who know  _exactly_  what is happening with the colonies, and they are helping me keep an eye on them. Other Alteans even... But the only thing we can do is stall the virus from continuing... Draw what has been tainted out and hope what replenishes is healthier. Shipping some of the tainted quintessence out did us all a favor- it kept the plagued Alteans alive long enough to try and find a cure, and it kept the Galra under my command working. It’s not an easy balance princess, but sometimes you have to find a way to keep life going.”

“You can’t expect me to believe that!”

“.... Didn’t you just do the same for me, Allura?” Eyes pinned her to the spot, The princess feeling very small. Yes. She had just saved Lotor by draining as much toxic, tained quintessence that she could - and he seemed well.

“I don’t know if I believe you.”

“I would offer to take you as well, if I didn’t fear what it would do to you. But feel free to send the others. I can’t possibly imagine it doing anything worse to your new Galra companions.” He sighed, shaking his head. “Even if I’m lying to you Allura, the Blade Of Mamora already know the way there. You don’t need my help inspecting the place or setting it free from my safe corner of the universe.” He turned back towards his throne, taking unsteady steps. “Your safety was all that prevented me telling you. Even now, when a part of you believes me, you still wish to put yourself at risk and go.”

Allura stiffened.

“...Now, was there anything else in your proposition that’s supposed to be mutually beneficial, or will I be meeting you on the battlefield?” Her gaze stiffened as he spoke, finding his way into his seat and relaxing with a conniving grin. “You mean to do something about the witch Haggar. You will also have Sendak. Both will hear that I have returned here, and you would rather me take the hit from both sides - I could instead turn you over. Unite a front with one of them, save myself. That’s all I’m good at, after all.”

“You won’t turn me over.” Confidence.

“And why is that, _princess_?”

“Because.... I didn’t call it a proposition. I called it a proposal. You cannot be left unchecked, and I need to make sure that what alliance we have remains. If this suits your taste, and you meet some simple expectations...”

It took a moment, but the Emperor stared her down until the grin returned to his face. “.... Why  _Allura_. I’m almost flattered.  _This_ is the part they don’t know about, isn’t it?”


End file.
